Frat rush shortened to 3 wks.

In what has been labeled a concession between the University administration and fraternity officials, the InterFraternity Council has shortened its rush from five weeks to three, and has placed a ceiling on the number of permissible rush events hosted by each house. IFC Vice President for Rush Ed Skyler explained that the changes, part of the new rush policy implemented by the IFC this week, are an effort to ready the fraternity system for the rush agenda determined by the Commission on Strengthening the Community. Last semester, the Commission recommended that fraternity rush be delayed until the spring semester, effective next year. "We asked for a one-year grace period so we could use a shorter rush and prepare the system for a later rush," Skyler said. T.J. Zane, secretary of the IFC, said that this grace period offers a middle-ground that attempts to satisfy both the University and the fraternities. "As far as shortening rush, that was a compromise between what the University was expecting us to do and what we were willing to do," he said. "We are hoping this measure will keep the University happy with having it in the fall." Instead of being able to have unlimited rush events, the policy limits to six the number of activities each fraternity can have during the three-week period. It also sets different guidelines for rush violations. Specifically, it establishes a Rush Judicial Board that is composed entirely of IFC members, as opposed to drawing from the Big-C and the Panhellenic Council, as in previous years. Skyler stated that this should assuage any feelings that disciplinary measures are not being handled fairly. "You're not going to have the anti-IFC prejudice," he said. "It makes our members feel that they are going to be judged fairly." IFC President Hayden Horowitz said the changes also act as an effort to lighten the load of prospective and present brothers, who in the past could expect their schedules to be booked with night after night of rush-related activities. "One thing that many people were concerned about was that the process was very time consuming," Horowitz said. "We want them to have additional time to work on their studies, to be available for extra-curricular activities, so they won't be taken away from their halls, their floors, their housemates." This particularly applies to freshmen rush participants, said Skyler, who must concentrate not only on admission to the fraternity of their choice, but also on acclimating themselves to college life as a whole. "When you first get to college, to have a five-week commitment is thought to be too much of a burden," he said. Not everyone looks favorably upon the abbreviated rush period, though. Delta Psi Fraternity President John Swift said the time constraints present a potential obstacle to putting together a quality pledge class. "It definitely limits the amount of time that you get to look at future members, and maybe it's not enough time to pick out what you think best suits your fraternity," said the College senior. Despite occasional dissenters, however, Skyler described the policy as having passed "overwhelmingly" by fraternity officials. "Everybody was receptive and saw the need for it," he said. "It wasn't a divisive issue. Everyone agreed that things had to change." Hopefully, said Horowitz, the 1994 rush season will prove a model for years to come. "Obviously, we are looking to run the best rush that we can, to make improvements from last year, and to demonstrate to ourselves that we can make this thing work," he said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.